1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of safety devices for high-performance vehicles and, more specifically, to a restraint device for controlling a driver's head and neck when the driver is subjected to high deceleration forces, such as those forces that may occur during a frontal collision of a high-performance vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditionally, drivers of high-performance vehicles have employed a standard five or six point seat belt assembly, in which all of the belts tie into a common buckle, to restrain the driver during a collision. Although the seat belt assembly is effective in constraining the torso of the driver to the seat assembly during a collision, it does not restrain the driver's head or neck. As such, during an impact, particularly a frontal or angular frontal impact, the driver's head may continue forward from the seat assembly then violently rotate downward towards the driver's chest. This uncontrolled movement of the driver's head has resulted in serious injury and death.
Injury may occur by one of the following ways. First, the driver's head may move forward and downward until it strikes against an interior component of the vehicle, such as the steering wheel. Moreover, downward rotation of the driver's head may cause high tension forces to occur in the spine and neck. Where the tension forces are sufficiently high, a basilar skull fracture may occur, a condition in which the base of the skull cracks from the stem. Finally, during recoil, the driver's head may be flung rearward against an interior component of the car, typically the seating assembly.
One proposed approach to reduce these types of injuries was to equip high-performance vehicles with driver-side airbags. However, this approach is problematic in that after the initial impact, the inflated airbag would block the driver's field of vision. Another problem is that the air bags would have to deploy much more quickly, and with more explosive force, than it would have to with conventional vehicles due to the great speeds at which high-performance vehicles are operated.
Other efforts to improve safety for drivers of high-performance vehicles include devices configured to restrain the driver's head and neck during a collision. Three of these devices, sold under the respective marks Hans Device®, Hutchens Device® and R-3™, have been approved for various classes of racing vehicles.
The Hans Device®, described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,009,566 and 4,638,510 to Robert P. Hubbard, includes a rigid yoke that is worn around the neck and over the shoulders of a driver and to which a safety helmet is tethered. Unfortunately, due to the bulky and rigid structure of the yoke, the Hans Device® itself may inadvertently become a safety hazard by impeding the driver from exiting the vehicle, particularly during an emergency situation.
With high-performance vehicles, egress is made through the driver-side window frame. However, the stiff and bulky yoke of the Hans Device® may impede the driver from exiting the vehicle by making it more difficult to move and fit through the driver-side window frame. Consequently, valuable time in removing the driver from a dangerous crash site and to treat the driver may be lost. This need to quickly exit the vehicle is particularly critical when the driver and/or vehicle are on fire or when the driver is seriously injured.
Another disadvantage of the Hans Device® is that the driver's seat must be modified in order to accommodate the bulky yoke. Accordingly, the device can not be used in a vehicle until costly modification to the vehicle's seat assembly has been made.
Still another disadvantage of the Hans Device® is that some drivers consider the rigid yoke as being uncomfortable and that the yoke restricts their mobility where operating the vehicle. Moreover, some drivers have also noted that yoke limits their peripheral view. These limitations of the Hans Device® may potentially lead to driver error and hence be the cause of a vehicle crash.
The Hutchens Device®, described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,149 to Trevor P. Ashline, comprises a series of straps forming a harness that is worn by a driver. The harness is tethered to the driver's helmet at one end and anchored to either the vehicle's seat belt assembly or, in an alternative configuration, around the driver's legs.
In addition to providing protection to the driver during a collision, the Hutchens Device® overcomes many of the disadvantages of the prior art. For example, Hutchens Device® by being configured of flexible straps, is light-weight and does not significantly interfere with a driver's ability to egress a vehicle. As such, the driver may freely exit the vehicle upon uncoupling the vehicle's seat belt assembly.
Moreover, the Hutchens Device® does not require any modification to the vehicle's seat assembly in order to properly function. Accordingly, the device is ready for use upon purchase and is a safety solution affordable to all drivers.
The R-3™ restraint is the subject of pending application Ser. No. 10/728,003 to Trevor P. Ashline. The R-3™ comprises a rigid member positioned along the driver's back, tethers extending from the top section of the rigid member to a helmet, and straps extending from the bottom section rigid member to the vehicle's seat belt assembly and/or to the driver's body which serves as an anchor to control the driver's head and neck during a vehicle collision. Like the Hutchens Device®, R-3™ is light-weight, does not significantly interfere with a driver's ability to egress a vehicle, requires no modification to the driver's seat assembly prior to use, and allows for a driver to freely exit the vehicle upon the uncoupling the vehicle's seat belt assembly.
Notwithstanding the benefits provided by the Hutchens Device® and R-3™, due to the dangerous nature of operating a high-performance vehicle during the course of racing, there is a continual need for providing improved and/or alternative restraint devices. Such restraint devices should not only provide the benefit of controlling the driver's head during a collision, but should also be simplistic in use and construction, inexpensive, not interfere with a driver's operation of a high-performance vehicle, and not impede the driver's egress from the vehicle.